


The Dark of the Night

by Tahlruil



Series: Fragile Things and Calloused Hands [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, De-Aged Tony Stark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Kid Tony Stark, Loki is a Nuisance, POV Thor (Marvel), Possibly Pre-Slash, Protective Thor (Marvel), Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Thor Sings, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony's Scared of Thunder, even if he won't admit it, idk - Freeform, soothing fears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 07:32:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13876167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahlruil/pseuds/Tahlruil
Summary: The 'snick' of the door opening was enough to rouse him from his slumber - Thor never slept well on Midgard. It was too different, too far from home, and even the thunderstorm that had enveloped the city an hour earlier couldn't put him completely at peace. Though he was awake, he remained lying down; he sensed no danger from the 'intruder'. It was hard not to chuckle at the clumsy attempt being made to sneak up on him, but he managed... largely because he was certain that Tony Stark would flee if he thought Thor was actually awake.





	The Dark of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Pfffft. I have no idea? I've been struggling to finish something all day, but I kept circling back to this and I just... I don't even know, okay? But it's almost midnight so I gotta post something here.
> 
> I've never really written Thor before, but for some reason this story wanted to be written, and I'm gonna post it because of my whole March thing, but yeah. Not sure I like it? Not sure about it at all? :'D
> 
> Thanks for reading tho! Hope it isn't awful. XD

The 'snick' of the door opening was enough to rouse him from his slumber - Thor never slept well on Midgard. It was too different, too far from home, and even the thunderstorm that had enveloped the city an hour earlier couldn't put him completely at peace. Though he was awake, he remained lying down; he sensed no danger from the 'intruder'. It was hard not to chuckle at the clumsy attempt being made to sneak up on him, but he managed... largely because he was certain that Tony Stark would flee if he thought Thor was actually awake.

At a magically induced nine years old, Tony was all quiet suspicion, twitchy hands and a refusal to accept affection from anyone. Thor had thought the good Captain might cry when Tony kicked him in the shin and ran off instead of letting Steve hug him. Since Loki's spell had taken hold, Tony had allowed Natasha to hold his hand long enough to get out of the ruin of one of his suits and that was it. All other contact had been shunned, though Thor had seen him reach for various adults several times only to check the impulse. He wouldn't touch anyone, hardly spoke, and regarded them all with narrowed, wary eyes like he was waiting for them to show their true colors.

Now, in the dark of the night lit only with lightning strikes, Tony was creeping toward his bed in a poor attempt at stealth. Well, 'poor' was perhaps an overstatement, because young Tony was actually very sneaky. If Thor were a normal Midgardian or if he were truly, deeply asleep, he might well never notice the boy. It was a skill that likely had an unhappy origin, something he couldn't let himself think too much about or he might give in to the temptation to start breaking things. While that would be mildly satisfying, it might also scare Tony as he was away... and Thor would give up an eye rather than chase the quiet, suspicious child back to his own room.

He was still feigning sleep when he heard Tony come to a stop at the head of his bed. There was a moment of silence, and then he felt someone tugging on his covers. It was somehow both a demand and an extremely hesitant plea, and Thor longed to swoop his wounded Shield Brother up and into the bed with him to snuggle until whatever fears were clouding his mind had passed. When Tony finally spoke, there was a quiet accusation in his voice. "I know you're 'wake."

"Then why are you sneaking?" he asked, manfully resisting the urge. Later he would be proud of himself for respecting boundaries the way his Midgardian friends were always telling him to, but just then it hurt not to offer Tony immediate comfort and solace from the night.

When it began clear that Tony didn't have an immediate response to the question, Thor carefully - slowly - rolled over to face him and cracked open one eye. The boy was scowling, cheeks puffed out as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. He was staring at the ground like it had personally offended his mother, and he had one arm wrapped tightly around himself in a sad parody of a hug while his other hand remained fisted in Thor's blankets. A flare of lightning threw the room into sudden bright, unforgiving relief, and Thor's quick eyes didn't miss the way the roll of thunder that followed made Tony shiver.

They stayed locked in that silent stalemate for two more rounds of thunder, which was when Thor's heart could bear the torment no longer. Hoping it wouldn't make the boy flee, Thor lifted the blankets in silent invitation and waited to see which way the winds would blow. He needn't have worried, as it turned out. The next crack thunder came a bare heartbeat later, louder and closer than the ones before it, and Tony was in bed, trembling body pressed close, in an instant.

Thor found it hard not to smile at the trust that showed, unwillingly given as it might be. Tony had been afraid and had come to _him_. The child that was still his Shield Brother, who had been adamant in his avoidance of touch and a affection, was curled up against his chest in an effort to find comfort. He let out a rumble of happiness at the thought, and after letting go of the blanket he draped one arm around Tony to cuddle him closer.

"I'm not a baby," Tony said suddenly, waspishly. "I'm not. It's just too loud and this isn't my house and I can't find my mom and things in my head are weird. I'm not scared and I'm not a baby."

"Of course not," Thor agreed with ease. "I too have trouble sleeping away from home. 'Tis why I was awake when you entered."

"... this isn't your house either? But ceiling-Jarvis said..." Tony stopped himself, sounding frustrated, then let out a gusty sigh of irritation. The effect was, unfortunately, somewhat ruined when the next round of thunder made him flinch and whimper in the back of his throat.

Thor kept a sigh locked firmly behind his lips, not wishing for Tony to think that he was at all impatient or upset with the boy. "I know things are confusing for you now, and strange. But JARVIS would never lead you wrong, in the ceiling or otherwise - have no fear of that. My true home lies far from here, but this tower is where I live when I cannot return to it. Here I am among friends, and I sleep easier within these walls than I would anywhere else on Midgard."

It was a truth easy to give a scared, suspicious boy; it was harder to admit to anyone else. Though the Lady Jane no longer wished act on their affection for each other, he had not informed his Shield Brothers or Shield Sister of that fact. It was a wound that was too close to his heart, one that rankled at the pride he had tried so hard to put behind. He was a prince, nearly a _god_ , and yet she had found him wanting... it was hard to bear. Harder still to speak, and he was not yet ready to allow his friends to try and heal his heart.

So he allowed them instead to make loud, cheerful jests and insinuations about his time away with his 'love'. When they would ask when he would see her again, he would find himself saying 'soon' just as loudly and cheerfully. He would go through the motions of preparing for the journey, speaking passionate but hollow words of devotion... and then he would go spend long stretches of time in the desert, staring up at the open sky and drinking in the quiet. Thor was careful always to remain in reach of his Shield Brothers in case of an emergency, but otherwise maintained the charade. He had always boasted that the Lady Jane brought him peace unmatched in all of Midgard, but now he found true solace only in the tower and the vast, seemingly endless desert sands.

The past month or so, however, he had begun to believe that Tony had discovered the lie, at least in part. He had said nothing, but they had begun to spend more time together. Tony initiated hugs and shoulder clasps more often, a soft look of understanding in his eyes. He offered no protest when Thor would cuddle with him on movie nights, and he allowed Thor greater access to his workshop so long as Mjolnir stayed at the door and he kept his electricity to himself.

Maybe that silent understanding and deepening bond were why this younger Tony had been willing to seek him out. It was a nice thought, and in return he could give away a little of the painful truth out loud.

"What's a Midgard?" Thor had to bite back a laugh at the question, asked so quick and eager. Curiosity, it seemed, was a trait both young and old Tony shared. He wanted to give answers, wanted to help Tony's mind understand more of world around him... but he had to weigh that against the knowledge that Tony was a boy, if only temporarily, and boys needed to sleep.

"In the morning, Tony, I will answer all your questions," he promised. Tony wouldn't like having to wait, he was sure, but there were some things that shouldn't be talked about in the dark of the night. "As I said, I know you are confused, and that all of us, even ceiling-Jarvis, have not answered your queries to your satisfaction. In the morning - when the sun lights the sky, since I know the way your mind works and _now_ is technically morning - you can ask anything. You can ask anything and I will answer you truthfully."

JARVIS might not appreciate that, and the rest of the Avengers certainly wouldn't. Thor cared not a bit for that, however, not when he knew that Tony might be able to let go of some of his suspicion if he held more of the cards. If he had the lay of the land, the boy would feel more confident, more sure of himself... and Thor could give him all of that while softening the harshest of blows.

"... yeah, okay. Promise?"

"You have my solemn vow, little warrior, and warriors do not break their pledges to each other." Tony scoffed but didn't otherwise call attention to the ways that wasn't always the truth. He _did_ give another quiet whimper when the thunder turned loud again, pressing his face hard against Thor's chest.

"I'm not a baby," he said again, voice sounding a little wobbly.

"There is no shame in being afraid, Tony, and it certainly doesn't make you a baby." There was no immediately exclamation of 'not afraid!', so Thor felt safe running one hand through Tony's hair and then down his back. "Whoever told you such a thing was mistaken. I am pleased and honored that you would come to me so I can try to help. May I ask why you're afraid?"

"It's just so _loud_ ," Tony whispered, trembling again. "And when it's loud, Howard... mama says it makes him remember the war. He..." Tony stopped himself, shuddered hard, then continued in a small voice. "I don't like it when it thunders this loud."

"Understandable." Thor was careful to keep his voice grave but steady, because Tony was too young to hear the anger Thor felt for Howard Stark and not think it was directed at him. "Though I can promise you that Howard is far away, and thunder on its own cannot harm you. Is there a way for me to help ease your fears?"

There was a long pause, one in which Thor felt certain Tony wouldn't answer him at all. Even as a child Tony seemed to understand the concept of hiding any vulnerabilities, and he had already shown Thor a large bit of supposed weakness. Finally, so quietly Thor almost missed it, however, the boy spoke. "Sometimes mama sings."

"I am sure my singing voice is nowhere near as beautiful as your mother's, but I shall make the attempt nonetheless." Thor ran his hand down Tony's back again, searching for something to sing that could help soothe a child off to sleep. He knew so few, the lullabies his own mother had sung too far gone for him to recollect. Loki would have been able to sing every one of them, and sometimes he missed his brother so fiercely that it burned...

Nothing he could remember would be appropriate, at least not in and Midgardian tongue. So eventually he slipped deliberately into the language of his people, allowing Tony to hear his voice without Allspeak translating the words. All the songs that were not for rowdy drinking were full of grief... but for the boy who had sought comfort in his arms, they were simply soft and sweet with no true meaning. He sang of love, loss and rebirth, of partings and endings, of slowly fading joy and hope.

Thor sang until the thunder had begun to pass, until Tony was sleeping peacefully against his chest. Only then did he allow himself to stop, thumb sweeping up and down Tony's spine in an absent gesture of reassurance. He expected to stay there like that, awake and staring at the ceiling until the sun rose, mind roiling with turmoil. The songs had brought up so many memories and emotions, so many thoughts... but with Tony snoring against his throat and the promise of an interrogation on the morrow, that all seemed a little less important.

He was surprised when that was enough to help him quiet his soul enough to sleep again, but he didn't fight it. Growing boys needed sleep and that was only the truth; their caretakers needed it all the more for their questions and energy. So with a soft sigh and light kiss to Tony's unruly mop of curls, Thor allowed himself to slumber again, sure in the knowledge that Tony would wake him as soon as the sun graced the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Day... uh... four? :'D My internal clock is all fucked up today. But I think it's day four. Anyway, it's done! Yay! :D
> 
> I have a [tumblr](http://tahlreth.tumblr.com) if you wanna come say hi, toss me a prompt or look at the stuff I reblog. <3


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